Talk:List of longest-running video game franchises

20 years not enough?

20 years may be to inclusive. Any game released before 1995 with a sequel after 2015 is eligible.

No, it is not. Currently there are more than 90 franchises listed. How is that too inclusive? -- ThiagoSimoes (talk) 14:11, 15 May 2016 (UTC)

I think you might be confusing the words inclusive and exclusive. 90 franchises is a lot. I think the minimum timespan should be at least 25 years. Ozdarka (talk) 12:20, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

Cameo appearances, non-games, & "regular releases"

Saw this mentioned at Wikiproject VG talk. Two thoughts:

• What counts as "regular releases"? Kid Icarus was already pointed out as a bit sketchy since that franchise was dead for a very long time. Does a single remake of an old game mean it's a long-running franchise? What about games like Nethack?

• A lot of these games are kinda sketchy. I'd argue appearances in crossover games like Smash Bros. shouldn't really count, where a character or two is a tiny sliver of the cast and the game genre is totally different. (Something like Street Fighter x Tekken, where it's half the cast and in the same genre, might be okay, though.) Similarly, there might be a line drawn somewhere about not-exactly-a-game games... does pachinko like Gradius The Slot really count?! Mobile knockoffs like Sonic Runners?

Thoughts? SnowFire (talk) 04:54, 13 January 2016 (UTC)

• I absolutely agree with your second point, and I've been trimming some of those out. Cameos/crossovers should not count. I feel like maybe the entries should be loosely of the same genre to count? So like, no, not pachinko/slot games, but I would consider something like Sonic Runners to count - its still a type of platformer. (Not that that one matters all that much, as I'm sure Runners won't be the last entry in the series, but its still good to discuss in general.)
• As for first point, I agree with what you're saying, and have thought the same thing, but I'm still not sure where to draw the line either... Sergecross73 msg me 17:13, 14 January 2016 (UTC)

related note, should card games like Elder Scrolls Legends count? 98.27.129.207 (talk) 17:40, 22 April 2016 (UTC)

If we are talking about a franchise, and there is an interactive game based on this franchise bearing the name of this franchise, I believe it must count. We should not be too picky about genres since some franchises switch genres all the time. Pachinko and mobile games still count. They are electronic games with a screen displaying images and progressing on them depends on input from a human player. They qualify as video games. -- ThiagoSimoes (talk) 14:17, 15 May 2016 (UTC)

To be added (please cross out or delete once added or deemed ineligible)

@ThiagoSimoes, Soetermans, Sergecross73, and Cgbuff: @Virtualerian, Animalman83, LegalNerd87, ThatNintendoGamer, John Cline, and UBracter: @Czar, Masem, Maplestrip, and PresN: @Tezero, GamerPro64, X201, and Salvidrim!: this is a fun project that you may or may not wish to partake in. :D--Coin945 (talk) 01:44, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

• Colonial Conquest (1985-2015) - not added, as there were no releases between 1994 and 2015
• Lemmings (video game) (1991-2018) - these are remakes - added, based on the following milestones: 1991 original -> 2000 Lemmings Revolution -> 2006 remake -> 2014 Lemmings Touch -> 2018 remake
• Missile Command - (1980-2020) - and soon for Intellivision Amico - not added, as there were no releases between 1980 and 1995, and also between 2008 and 2020
• Sesame Street video games - based on television series & not sequeled
• 1942 (video game) (1984-2010) - dormant! - not dormant during its lifespan which is the important thing. Added
• Babylonian Castle Saga (1984-2011) - dormant! - was already added by someone else
• Balloon Fight - 3 games & ports/emulations - not added as I don't think there were any valid releases between 1990 and 2007
• Chip's Challenge (1989-2014) - not added as there were no releases between 1989 and 2014
• Excitebike (1984-2009) - dormant! - yes, it was dormant from 1988 to 2011
• James Pond (1990-2011) - not added as there were no releases between 1993 and 2011
• International Karate - recent releases were purely emulation
• Joust (video game) - doesn't qualify
• Kick Off (series) (1989-2002, 2016) - so there were no releases between 2002 and 2016, hence ineligible
• The King of Fighters (1994-2021)
• Little Big Adventure - doesn't qualify
• Centipede (video game) (1980-1998, 2011, 2021) - so there were no releases between 1998 and 2011, hence ineligible
• Dig Dug (1982-2009) - dormant! - yes, between 1985 and 1996
• Pole Position (1982-2008) - dormant! - yes, between 1983 and 2008
• Rally-X (1980-1981, 1996-2011) - few changes, dormant
• Pengo (video game) - doesn't qualify
• Tron (video game) - based on the film franchise
• Mappy (1983-2015) - previously removed - no releases between 1989 and 2002
• Tapper (video game) (1983, 2011) - doesn't qualify
• Paperboy (video game) (1985-1999) - emulation - not sure about emulation, but they are just ports and re-releases
• Yars' Revenge (1982, 1999-2011) - dormant!
• Myst (1993-2014/2021) - although with ports, a new sequel announced - added based on the following milestones: original 1993 -> sequel 2001 -> sequel 2005 -> remake 2014 -> remake 2020
• Putty (video game) (1992-2013) - not long enough to qualify
• XCOM (1994-2020) - removed based on not having any releases between 2001 and 2012
• Strider (1989 arcade game) (1989-2000, 2014) - so there were no releases between 2000 and 2014, hence ineligible
• Sid Meier's Pirates! (1987, 2004) - doesn't qualify
• Athena (video game) (1986, 2006) - doesn't qualify
• Egghead (1989-2017) (Cronosoft) - semi-consistent, but not all that notable. - no Wikipedia article for this game or the series, so not notable enough
• Test Drive (series) (1987-2012) - & upcoming Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown - someone else already added it
• TwinBee (series) (1985-2013)
• Wipeout (video game series) (1995-2022) - added
• Rayman (1995-2019) - whenever a new game releases, it'll be 25+ years
• Metal Slug (1996-2021)
• Tomb Raider (1996-2022) - added
• Crash Bandicoot (1996-2021) - under 25 for now (Sep 96 - Mar 21): whenever Crash Team Rumble releases
• Gran Turismo (series) (1997-2022) - under 25 for now (Dec 97 - Mar 22)
• Age of Empires (1997-2021) - under 25 for now
• Moon Cresta 1980 --> Oretachi Game Center Zoku: Terra Cresta 2005 - the 2005 entry listed was an emulated port. There were no new entries between 1997 and 2022
• Shinobi 1987 --> Shinobi 2011 - only 24 years, so not eligible
• Kolony 1991 --> Kolony online 2013 - only 22 years then, so not eligible
• Archon: The Light and the Dark 1983 --> Archon Classic 2010 - no releases between 1984 and 2003, so not eligible
• Raiden 1990 --> Raiden Legacy 2012
• Tekken 1994 --> Pokkén Tournament with Wii U Pokkén Tournament Pro Pad Bundle 2016 - Pokkén Tournament was first released in 2015, the span for this series is about 21 years so not eligible
• Rayman 1995 --> Rayman Adventures 2015 - in that case it's only 20 years, so not eligible
• Falcon 1987 --> Falcon: Collection 2015 - Falcon Collection is just a bundle of other games; the true span is from 1987-2005, only ~18 years
• OutRun 1986 --> OutRun: Online Arcade 2009 - only 23 years, so not eligible
• Star Fox 1993 --> Star Fox 2 2017 - only 24 years, so not eligible
• Silpheed 1986 --> SILPHEED Alternative AM 2011 - no releases between 1986 and 2000, or 2000 to 2012
• Wizball 1987 --> Wizball 2007 - only 20 years then, so not eligible
• Pitfall! 1982 --> Pitfall: The Lost Expedition 2004 - only 22 years then, so not eligible (also has >10 year gap as per the Removals section)
• Harpoon Scenario Editor 1989 --> Larry Bond's Harpoon: Ultimate Edition 2010 - only 21 years then, so not eligible
• Thexder 1985 --> Thexder Neo 2009 - only 24 years then, so not eligible
• (A-Train series:) A Ressha de Ikō 1985 --> The Train Giant 2010
• Déjà Vu: A Nightmare Comes True!! 1985 --> Déjà Vu: A Nightmare Comes True - MacVenture Series 2015 - only 20 years then, so not eligible
• Supaplex 1991 --> Supaplex 2 2012 - only 21 years then, so not eligible
• Catacomb 1989 --> Catacombs Pack 2013 - only 24 years then, so not eligible
• Populous 1989 --> Populous: The Beginning 2013 - only 24 years then, so not eligible
• Speedball 1988 --> Speedball 2 HD 2013 - added based on the following milestones: original 1988 -> sequel 1990 -> 3d remake 2000 -> remake 2007 -> remake 2013
• Superfrog 1993 --> Superfrog HD 2013 - only 20 years then, so not eligible
• Bravoman 1988 --> BRAVOMAN: Binja Bash! 2013 - not added as there were no releases between 1990 and 2013
• Shadowgate 1987 --> Shadowgate: MacVenture Series 2015 - added, not based on the MacVenture Series release (which I would consider a port) but based on the following milestones: original 1987 -> sequel 1993 -> sequel 1999 -> remake 2005 -> remake 2014 -> VR sequel 2021
• Super Punch-Out!! 1984 --> Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! 2009 - not added as I could not find any releases between 1994 and 2009
• Rebelstar Raiders 1984 --> Rebelstar: Tactical Command 2005 - only 21 years then, so not eligible
• Gundam} - List of Gundam video games - based on anime, so not added
• Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū series - added by someone else, as Power Pros
• J.B. Harold Murder Club - not added, as I could not find any releases between 1995 and 2008
• Space Taxi 1984 --> Space Taxi 2 2004 - only 20 years then, so not eligible
• {s 1989 --> Final Fight: Double Impact 2010 - only 21 years then, so not eligible
• Spy Hunter 1982 --> Spy Hunter 2012 - already added by someone else
• Wasteland 1988 --> Wasteland 2 2014 - not added, as there were no releases between 1990 and 2014
• Flashback: The Quest for Identity 1992 --> Flashback 2013 - not added, as there were no releases between 1995 and 2013
• Space Hulk 1993 --> Space Hulk Ascension 2014 - only 21 years then, so not eligible
• Tecmo Bowl 1987 --> Tecmo Bowl Throwback 2010 - only 23 years then, so not eligible
• System Shock 1994 --> System Shock: Enhanced Edition 2015 - only 21 years then, so not eligible
• Battlezone 1980 --> Battlezone 2008 - not added, as there were no releases between 1980 and 1995
• BurgerTime 1982 --> Burgertime: Worldtour 2011 - added based on the following milestones: original 1982 -> sequel 1991 -> crossover 2000 -> remake 2007 -> remake 2011 -> remake 2019

I understand BurgerTime's release timeline for new/distinct games is something like this:

1982 - BurgerTime

1984 - Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory

1987 - Diner

1990 - Super BurgerTime

1991 - BurgerTime Deluxe

2000 - The Flintstones: BurgerTime in Bedrock

2007 - BurgerTime Delight

2011 - BurgerTime World Tour

2019 - BurgerTime Party!

That seems about right. I listed similar milestones above, but omitted superfluous milestones. Not sure what you are trying to ask or demonstrate here. Kidburla (talk) 14:22, 9 July 2022 (UTC)

Just trying to specify things as much as possible, as I know some tend to blur the on the handheld games in particular, since it can be easy to dismiss them as essentially being ports under a new name, so I felt to try to specify things as much as possible. Electricmastro (talk) 02:15, 23 July 2022 (UTC)

• Beach-Head 1983 --> Beach Head: Desert War 2003 - only 20 years then, so not eligible
• Gridrunner 1982 --> Gridrunner Revolution 2009 - added by someone else but removed due to gap between 1991 and 2002
• Star Soldier 1986 --> Star Soldier R 2008 - only 22 years then, so not eligible
• Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective 1991 --> Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective 2 - The Case of the Tin Soldier 2012 - only 21 years then, so not eligible
• Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny 1992 --> Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny - With Blade and Brilliance 2015 - only 23 years then, so not eligible
• Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken 1987 --> Jake Hunter: Detective Story - Memories of the Past 2009* - only 22 years then, so not eligible
• Last Half of Darkness 1989 --> Last Half of Darkness: Society of the Serpent Moon 2011 - only 22 years then, so not eligible

• Note: I didn't get the notification when you tried to ping me, I merely wandered over here from WP:VG. I think someone told me once that the "ping" feature doesn't work if you don't sign your posts (for some reason.) It doesn't look like you signed this post, so the pings may not have worked. So, you might want to try again if you want to contact people on this, FYI. Sergecross73 msg me 17:07, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

• I got the ping. Maybe its the issue with Wikipedia. GamerPro64 02:03, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

@Coin945:, I appreciate you inviting me to help out. I haven't been very active lately, today's the first day in a while I'm behind a PC. I might not be to help out. There was one discussion though at WT:VG what is considered a "video game franchise". Some video games are based upon other media, like Star Wars or Sesame Street, and it wasn't clear if we can consider those to be actual "video game" franchises. soetermans. ^{↑↑↓↓←→←→ B A TALK} 11:40, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

• This list is a bit original research-y. We should be able to cite reliable, secondary sources that define each of these entries as a franchise with a first entry and a latest entry, even if both facts aren't in the same source.  czar 01:38, 29 May 2016 (UTC)

• Railroad Tycoon 1990 -> Sid Meier's Railroads 2006 - only 16 years then, so not eligible
• Transport Tycoon 1994 -> RollerCoaster Tycoon 1999 -> Transport Tycoon 2013 -> RollerCoaster Tycoon World 2016 - only 22 years then, so not eligible
• Wing Commander 1990 -> Wing Commander Arena 2007 - only 17 years then, so not eligible
• Colin McRae Rally 1998 -> -> Dirt 4 2017 - only 19 years then, so not eligible
• Dragon's Lair 1983 -> Dragon's Lair III 2005 - only 22 years then, so not eligible
• Conker's Pocket Tales 1998 -> Young Conker 2016 - only 18 years then, so not eligible
• Syndicate 1993 -> Syndicate 2012 - only 19 years then, so not eligible
• Tempest 1981 -> Tempest 2010 - not added as there were no releases between 1981 and 1994
• Micro Machines 1991 -> Micro Machines World Series 2017 - added by someone else, but later removed as there were no releases between 2006 and 2017
• Monaco GP 1979 -> 2003 - only 24 years then, so not eligible
• Pole Position 1982 -> Pole Position: Remix 2008 - not added as there were no releases between 1993 and 2008
• Excitebike 1985 -> 3D Classics: Excitebike 2011 - not added, as there were no releases between 1984 and 1997
• Out Run 1986 -> 2015 - not added, as there were no releases between 1992 and 2003
• Mach Rider 1985 -> 2014 - not added as there are no sequels/remakes here, only ports
• Test Drive 1987 -> Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends 2012 - already added by someone else
• F-Zero 1990 -> 2016 - not added as there was no release in 2016, the latest was 2004 (perhaps 2016 was a port)
• Killer Instinct 1994 -> 2017 - only 23 years then, so not eligible Cgbuff (talk) 21:33, 16 December 2017 (UTC)

@Cgbuff: thanks for the list, I've finished going through it and adding the eligible games. Kidburla (talk) 14:41, 3 June 2022 (UTC)

Other editors like me also added a couple of these to the list, but yeah, thanks for going through it and finishing all that work. I'm a little sad The Oregon Trail was brought down from 49 to 42 years, but you're correct. -Vipz (talk) 21:19, 3 June 2022 (UTC)

@Vipz: Yes I realized that and I thank you. I tried to indicate where a game was already added by someone else if it had no existing comment, or elaborate on reasons given for ineligibility. Also some games had been added by other editors and later removed, and I re-added them if deemed eligible. Kidburla (talk) 22:36, 5 June 2022 (UTC)

Might and Magic Heroes but not M&M itself?

M&M X was released in 2014, so for M&M (the main series) it's 28 years. M&M 1 was 1986. And shouldn't Heroes be considered part of M&M as a whole anyway? Sslaxx (talk) 13:35, 26 March 2017 (UTC)

List is need of massive changes

This list is in need of massive changes. Dates that don't auto-update every month (what says 40 years is now 47), unnecessarily splitting them into two-year release window sections, its overall bloated number of entries (many from non-notable series), it's just a mess. Unless somebody objects, I'll soon be fixing the list with a new qualification standard of over 25 years, and simply putting them in order of first release into a single list. ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 22:22, 7 March 2018 (UTC)

Signed. Phediuk (talk) 07:52, 9 March 2018 (UTC)

By the simple progression of time this list will continue to grow. Very likely many of the entries that were present in the 20-24 year range that was excised will re-appear in the next 5-10 years. If there is some maximum number of entries in mind before the list becomes "bloated", then inevitably at some later date the qualification to be included in the list will jump from 25 years to 30 years. If the intent is to keep a limited number of entries - whatever that limit might be - it would seem the sensible thing to do is stop adding new entries altogether. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.96.86.194 (talk) 08:09, 14 April 2018 (UTC)

Then why even have the list at all if we can't add new entries? At the very least, adding one or two entries to the list every year is not some large time-consuming task. ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 21:04, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

I think it is a fair point - before being cut the list had something like 170 entries. After being cut, it's down to around 70. If the list slowly builds to around 170 entries in the future only to be cut back down again, then the gradual addition of entries - while perhaps not a time-consuming task - is only building towards another large removal of entries that is a time-consuming task. It seems like the purpose of the list needs to be clarified. It it to record only the 70 (or whatever number X) "most notable" longest running franchises? Or all franchises that have run for Y years, where Y is whatever number of years that is needed so there are only X entries in the list? Is the list intended to grow in size at all, if so what growth rate is permissible over time? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.180.51.132 (talk) 19:24, 19 April 2018 (UTC)

Codifying "regular releases"

There ought to be more specific criteria for inclusion than just "regular releases", which is vague and subjective. I suggest that we require that at no point during the lifespan of the series did more than 10 years pass without any new additions to the series being added. The idea of this being to exclude reboots of moribund series and only include series that have been at least somewhat active throughout their lifespan. By my reckoning, this would exclude the following series:

• Space Invaders
• Pac Man
• King's Quest
• Darius
• R.B.I. Baseball
• Punch-Out!!
• Tex Murphy
• Langrisser

I will go ahead and make this change at some point soon if nobody objects. 88.97.28.55 (talk) 14:59, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

• Not sure I agree with this. Pac-Man and R.B.I. Baseball have had new releases in the last few years, and the others have had ports to modern systems, making them a used IP still. ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 21:06, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

How would you suggest codifying this, then? Personally, I do not consider something like Tex Murphy or Punch-Out!! to be long running franchises. Rather, they are franchises that ran for a short while, went inactive, and were then rebooted. This is as opposed to series like Mario or Final Fantasy which have been active the entire time since their conception. This is a somewhat fuzzy line with games, due to the nature of lengthy developments punctuated by occasional releases. There's nothing concrete to latch onto like a book always being in print, or a TV show never being cancelled. Even so, I don't think that reboots should be included on the list. Consider something like Pong, which had a 40 year anniversary remake. Should that be included? Almost certainly not. And if that's being excluded, then where do we draw the line? My suggestion of ten years idle is a somewhat arbitrary one, and I'll happily listen to other suggestions, but I do think that there ought to be some sort of objective criteria in place. 88.97.28.55 (talk) 04:18, 19 April 2018 (UTC)

This is kind of arbitrary, and there are several underlying issues with this list. By this "10 years" requirement, that means any listings with last release being before 2014, should progressively be removed from the table. First of all, there are franchises which had a big gap between releases, but later continued with regular sequels (e.g. in near future, Diablo (series) due to development hell with Diablo III) and "10-year" already affects pre-DKC Donkey Kong and nearly affected Wolfenstein, Doom and Bomberman.

Secondly, majority of early franchises that still continue to this day, and I add this with a big name Atari, Inc. who entirely lacks from the table, is that they in majority consisted of re-releases / ports with few changes (and might have seen a remake / sequel "every so often") because of their simplicity. Name Asteroids, Breakout and most famously Pong, all simple games which (with simple remakes) might barely qualify (granted, licensed remakes count), and this is to add up with my first point. All of them are getting remade for Intellivision Amico. Another development hell example is Earthworm Jim 4, also set to finally release on mentioned platform. (hint, hint, Half-Life might reboot?) —Vipz (talk) 01:51, 13 May 2021 (UTC)

For the record w/regards to Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong 3: Daigyakushu came out in August of 1984 and Donkey Kong '94 came out in June of 1994, so it's actually just inside the ten year window. 50.47.107.57 (talk) 17:58, 13 May 2022 (UTC)

• Could we add another column whch is essentially for 'total no. of releases over total no. of franchise years' - to rank franchises in terms of their density, rather than just the length between first and latest release?--Coin945 (talk) 02:10, 31 May 2021 (UTC)

Removing additional franchises

I removed a bunch of franchises from the list on the grounds that there hadn't been 25 years between their first and msot recent release. This change was then reverted, on the grounds that they were initially released over 25 years ago. As an example, let's consider the FIFA series. The first game in the series was released in 1993 and the most recent was released in 2017. The series is 25 years old, but there have only been 24 years between the first and most recent release. Should this be included? I suggest not, for the following reasons:

• This is a list of longest-running francises, not of oldest franchises. That means that the relevant information is the length of time between first and last release, not the time between first release and now.
• It's an objective measure that is easily judged. If we're including any franchise older than 25 years, do we require that they still be active? If so, how do we judge that? What if they haven't released a new game in 2 years? In 5 years? 10 years? 23 years?
• It's consistent with the text of the article. The article itself states "To qualify for this list, a franchise must have seen regular releases for at least twenty five years, from a franchise's first release to its most recent." If we do decide to include franchises based on age alone, then at the very least, this text should be changed to reflect whatever inclusion criteria are actually used. 88.97.28.55 (talk) 04:43, 19 April 2018 (UTC)

I completely agree. This is not a list of oldest franchises. The time between first and last release is important, or else this list has no point at all. -- ThiagoSimoes (talk) 13:04, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

May 2018 update

Hello everybody. I updated the article bringing back the "Length" column, and deleted every game which had a "24 years, 11 months" label or less. Also, I made sure that the list mentions the latest release, instead of an upcoming release. Also, to keep things fair, games without a release date, mentioning only the release year, were listed as receiving a theoretical release date of July 2 for counting time, since this marks the exact middle of the year. Some other notes: 1) Earthbound Beginnings is a translation of the original game, so Earthbound does not qualify; 2) Steam lists the release date of Mean Streets as Jan 1st, 1989, so the game only remains on the list because of this; 3) franchises that will soon need to be added back to the list with future releases in 2018 are FIFA, Yoshi and Ace Combat. -- ThiagoSimoes (talk) 04:56, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

We don't need to colorize cells based on if a game has released or not. The fact it being announced for a set year is enough. And as for any future games that get added yearly, we could add them to the table beforehand, but hide them using wikicode. ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 05:51, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

Why do you think we should add upcoming games with no fixed release date, to a column that clearly states latest release? Upcoming games have not been released and they can get delayed (or cancelled), so they should not be added to these columns in my opinion. Once the game is released, then add it. Simple as that. And, please, do not add games to the list as carelessly as you are doing. You need to order the series by length instead of adding anything you wish to the bottom row. -- ThiagoSimoes (talk) 12:49, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

Now I noticed you completely disregarded the latest release of the games and deleted all the instances where I mentioned the year when the franchise was released last. This is completely wrong, and I reverted all your edits. They make no sense and you are making a mess of the article with your edits. -- ThiagoSimoes (talk) 13:00, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

What? You are going by the time between initial and most recent release, when the list should only be about how long the franchise has been around. And how was I adding games carelessly? I simply re-added all the games you removed due to your strange criteria. And if you mean the length column is out of order, I'm aware of that and was trying to find a way to automatically sort it. I 100% disagree with all of your edits; if you want to continue this, then I'd notify members of WT:VG to bring more discussion here. ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 20:56, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

Please do. I see your contributions as detrimental, so it is important to have more people voicing their opinion about them as well. -- ThiagoSimoes (talk) 21:00, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

Posted. ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 21:09, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

In my humble opinion its a good idea to include this new criteria. Any series released in the 90s doesn't make it the "longest-running". That implies that the series has continued to grow over 25 years, right? If we keep the old criteria wouldn't we just rename this list as "List of oldest video game franchises"? I don't agree that some of these are even "franchises" but I might be stirring the pot, sorry. i'll stick with the main topic.Blue Pumpkin Pie (talk) 21:27, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

Moving the page name is 100% fine with me. I just think the point of only listing games that have spanned releases across 25 years is unnecessarily complicated. And if that is not the consensus with these discussion, then I'm fine with the format Thiago is trying to do. I just think there should be a larger consensus first before I get accused of "making a mess" by reverting back to the older version. ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 02:16, 2 May 2018 (UTC)

I wrote this because the dates were all over the place, and I could not understand what you were trying to do after you edited the page 10 times in a row, and even undid your own edit. It seemed to me you were completely confused about what you were trying to do, and it was impossible to understand what this article was supposed to cover. Besides, the fact that the franchise must have seen releases for at least 25 years (20 in the old version) had never been an issue before. As for moving the page, I do not see the point of creating a list of oldest franchises, but then again I believe even this list of longest-running franchises is completely unnecessary, to be honest. But this is just my opinion. -- ThiagoSimoes (talk) 04:57, 2 May 2018 (UTC)

For a compromise, would it be better to have a separate list for "Oldest" video game series? I think 25 years is a good gap considering how old video games has been.Blue Pumpkin Pie (talk) 16:27, 2 May 2018 (UTC)

Or maybe a list of video game series with the most games, similar to List_of_feature_film_series_with_ten_to_twenty_entries. Cgbuff (talk) 19:19, 2 May 2018 (UTC)

Wow Wikipedia sure loves weird lists. I dont think its necessary to copy that style. But whatever everyone likes best.Blue Pumpkin Pie (talk) 19:41, 2 May 2018 (UTC)

I disagree on making a list like that for games. It would just invite edit warring, as games are produced way more frequently than films, and people would try to add every port/re-release/localization under a new name to it. ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 20:49, 2 May 2018 (UTC)

I agree with Dissident93. This would be very confusing. Take the Ogre series, for example: the last original release was in 2001, but there have been ten re-releases of older games, and one remake, after that. -- ThiagoSimoes (talk) 01:15, 3 May 2018 (UTC)

Would it be a fair compromise to make a list of oldest video game series instead and keep this one to longest-running?Blue Pumpkin Pie (talk) 16:54, 4 May 2018 (UTC)

Number of entries?

Is it worth having a number of entries column? In my humble opinion, it would be very informative to have such a column. I'm not pushing for it however, so feel free to disagree.Blue Pumpkin Pie (talk) 00:02, 23 May 2018 (UTC)

I subject 100 as a limit Fanoflionking 23:51, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

@Blue Pumpkin Pie: I agree it would be a good idea. The problem is how to document which releases you considered worthy of inclusion in the count. (Some decisions on whether a release is a port or a remake may be controversial.) We could put this in comments within the article. If others are happy that this is a good idea, I would be happy to support. (I think the above poster misunderstood what you were asking and didn't really read your message unfortunately...) Kidburla (talk) 14:44, 3 June 2022 (UTC)

"Only franchises that started out a video game"

This list says Only franchises that started out as a video game are listed; therefore, video games based upon other media are not listed, and while I get (or so I assume) that the intent is to avoid having unrelated games that just happen to use the same licensed IP count as a single long-running series, it does feel arbitrary to me and is not even applied consistently. Megami Tensei began as an adaptation of a novel series. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is based on the novel of the same name. Super Robot Wars is a crossover between several manga and anime series.

Would anyone be opposed to either changing the wording of that "games based on other media" sentence, or removing it? A video game series is a video game series regardless of how it started out, is my view.--Alexandra^IDV 04:59, 24 March 2020 (UTC)

Alexandra IDV these are still video game franchises at the end of the day and should count just a quick look at some franchises for the list

• Star Trek 47 years
• Predator 37 years
• Star Wars 36 years
• Spider-Man 36 years
• Godzilla 36 years
• Scooby-Doo 35 years
• Looney Tunes 35 years
• Ghostbusters 35 years
• Tron 34 years
• Mickey & friends 33 years
• Predator 33 years
• Batman 32 years
• Superman 32 years
• Transformers 32 years
• Tom and Jerry 31 years
• Winnie the Pooh 30 years
• Dr who 30 years
• James Bond 29 years
• Yogi Bear 27 years

I might of miss some but that what I found Fanoflionking 22:59, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

I am against the idea. All of these are not actually video game franchises, just other licensed properties that have been used in video games over the years. This list should be strictly for video game franchises. Namcokid47 ^(Contribs) 23:12, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

Why fifa and NFL on here than they are licensed properties Fanoflionking 23:57, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

I don't know. They should be removed. Namcokid47 ^(Contribs) 00:30, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

How about we do a main list feature games of every sort (aka licensed and unlicensed), a second list of unlicensed and a third for licensed games Fanoflionking 07:42, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

No, that's just creating more unnecessary lists. I don't even understand how that would make any sense, they're not video game franchises - they're licenses that have been used for video games in the past. Adding them would just further bloat out the list, which is what I thought we are trying not to do. Namcokid47 ^(Contribs) 15:20, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

I think we should count licensed works, distinguishing the length of time they've been video games. - Bryn (talk) (contributions) 21:49, 16 June 2020 (UTC)

I think the difference is that in that case it will be the longest-running "Franchises that have video games".Blue Pumpkin Pie ^{Chat Contribs} 22:46, 16 June 2020 (UTC)

I start this drafts see Draft:List of longest-running licensed video game franchises

Ranking

Can we add a rank column. Fanoflionking 18:14, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

Ranking is subjective. If you want the table to be organized by most-longest to least-longest, there is already a column that allows you to do that. IF that's what you want, ranking is redundant.Blue Pumpkin Pie ^{Chat Contribs} 21:29, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

Many lists on Wikipedia do similar to this for example ‘’list of highest grossing films’’ I was looking fo the list and there was so many I lost count Fanoflionking 13:28, 21 June 2020 (UTC)

Game & Watch

Very on-the-fence about it being included here. I don't see these as being actual "video games", just a line of LCD handheld systems that also happened to get a few video game recreations. Was thinking of removing it but I'd like consensus. Namcokid47 ^(Contribs) 04:30, 7 September 2020 (UTC)

these are still video games I would kept them in the list Fan Of Lion King 🦁 (talk) 12:38, 20 January 2021 (UTC)

Flight Simulator

Since the Microsoft games are essentially ports of FS1 Flight Simulator, should it be the original start point of the series? This would make it 1979 and not 1982.

Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat should not be included as they included license charters Fan Of Lion King 🦁 (talk) 16:17, 6 May 2021 (UTC)

From what I just read from Mortal Kombat#Characters, the inclusion of licensed characters started with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (the last game before Midway Games sold out to Warner Bros.). It started out as a video game series with original characters, which are still prevalent, and the licensed characters are guests. --Vipz (talk) 16:46, 6 May 2021 (UTC)

Altered listings

Removed for being dormant over the last 10 years:

• 19XX
• Punch-Out!!
• Paperboy
• Archon
• Qix

Removed for having 10+ year long gaps in-between:

• Pocky & Rocky
• Battletoads
• Alex Kidd
• Kid Icarus
• Giana Sisters
• Bubsy
• Streets of Rage
• Wasteland
• Wonder Boy
• Zaxxon
• Centipede
• Panzer Dragoon
• Tex Murphy
• ToeJam & Earl
• Langrisser
• King's Bounty (is also apparently apart of the Might and Magic series, which already has its own listing anyway)
• R.B.I. Baseball
• Cotton
• The Bard's Tale
• Wars
• Dizzy
• R-Type
• Battlezone
• King's Quest
• Sokoban (no specific series listed)
• Elite
• Tempest
• Boulder Dash

I also removed Pangman from Buster Bros., despite it having been listed on its page, upon discovering that it’s unofficial. Pang Adventures has been added in its place. Electricmastro (talk) 13:09, 25 August 2021 (UTC)

If they still qiulfiy for the page they should still count 92.236.253.249 (talk) 22:19, 3 September 2021 (UTC)

It's been discussed in this section above on how to determine "regular releases" and we kind of settled on no-more than 10 years between releases. There are lots of video game series that are sparsely active or dormant, so they aren't notable for listing (they will just end up bloating the list). -Vipz (talk) 10:35, 4 September 2021 (UTC)

Then why do we not put a limit of number of eentry (i.e 100) 13:11, 4 September 2021 (UTC)~

Sports series

Added the sports series The Black Bass, Madden NFL, NHL, FIFA, PGA Tour, and eFootball (NBA Live almost made 25 years before receiving cancellation in 2018). I didn't add the WWF games series since I've understood that that is more media-based, unlike the less media-entrenched series like PGA Tour, though I wasn't sure whether or not to add Football Manager.

Addictive Games published Football Manager from 1982-1992, followed by Electronic Arts publishing Football Manager games around 2000. Sega then started publishing games under the name of Football Manager ever since 2004, but it's unclear to me whether Sega's games belong as part of the AG and EA games.

These are considered license games aren't they?Blue Pumpkin Pie (talk) 15:45, 27 August 2021 (UTC)

I understood based on the introductory summary on the list page that games based on other media aren’t allowed, and that things like PGA Tour aren’t quite media to begin with, with WWF falling more into the media category, as well as TV, movie, and comic-originated media like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Spider-Man being distinct from them. I can always remove EA’s series if that really turns out to be the case though. Electricmastro (talk) 17:16, 27 August 2021 (UTC)

They are licensed games and should not count you can not have one rule for some and another rule of the rest it should be all franchises or only franchises that started out as games 92.236.253.249 (talk) 10:05, 3 September 2021 (UTC)

Alright, understood. So Test Drive, Need for Speed, and eFootball very much count as licensed franchises that shouldn't be put as well? Electricmastro (talk) 19:37, 3 September 2021 (UTC)

Test Drive & Need for Speed both have licensed cars whiles eFootball have licensed teams so I would go no92.236.253.249 (talk) 22:15, 3 September 2021 (UTC)

NFL, NHL, PGA Tour and Fifa are based upon (and licensed from, as indicated by their names) specific sport governing organizations, while The Black Bass and eFootball / PES are merely based on sports. Need for Speed and Test Drive started out as video games. The lede only rules out "based on other media" franchises - licensing vehicles for a video game isn't "basing" it upon them. -Vipz (talk) 03:11, 4 September 2021 (UTC)

Alright, re-added, eFootball, Need for Speed, and Test Drive. Electricmastro (talk) 20:28, 3 October 2021 (UTC)

Madden should be re-added as well. It started out as a video game as well, only being licensed by the NFL later on.24.6.52.220 (talk) 08:50, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

Then we need to mention no games that features ‘’licensed properties’’ 92.236.253.249 (talk) 09:18, 4 September 2021 (UTC)

My opinion is contrary to that, as I was implying. -Vipz (talk) 10:21, 4 September 2021 (UTC)

Can we settle on the previous wording? @92.236.253.249: you might be misunderstanding that "based upon other media" means exactly as you said in your edit "it should be all franchises or only franchises that started out as games". Gameplay of racing video games with "licensed properties" is not inherently based on these licensed vehicles. I'd appreciate other editors to give their opinion. -Vipz (talk) 22:42, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

I was waiting for other inputs but ask to come back licensed vehicles are still licensed at the end of the day gaming companies have to purchase the rights lets say I making a racing game and wanted to use a Bettle I would still have to purchased the rights for VW same with any other car I would want to use. The same applies to films and shows now if I make a car game with no ‘’real cars’’ then it would count for this list. 15:07, 15 September 2021 (UTC)

The problem with trying to have list of longest running licensed video game franchise is that it doesn't make it a video game franchise, they are video games are an extension of the original franchise. For example, we will probably get many Star Wars games to comes, but that's based on how long the original lasts.

I dont think it would be encyclopedic to try to make a separate list just for the original franchise. For me, you would have to make a debate of whether this list should ever include them or not, but to do that you have to confirm they are actually video game franchises (not games that belong to a pre-existing franchise).

With that said, Racing games aren't the same as sports games. Even if need for speed or any other original racing game has real cars they need to license, it is not the same thing as the game itself being licensed. Another example: Grand theft Auto probably has to license songs, doesn't make it a game licensed to a pre-dxisting franchise.Blue Pumpkin Pie (talk) 20:08, 15 September 2021 (UTC)

GTA does feature license songs thurs it should not be included on the list 92.236.253.249 (talk) 17:07, 18 September 2021 (UTC)

I feel you're trying to prove a point. But no, licensed material in a video game doesn't suggest the game is based on a licensed franchise. I already explained the difference. Blue Pumpkin Pie (talk) 19:12, 18 September 2021 (UTC)

So then Madden would count. It was not originally based on a licensed franchise. 24.6.52.220 (talk) 08:52, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

Madden should go back on the list, it didn't start as a licensed series until 1993, though the series started in 1988. It cannot be considered a licensed series for this reason. Plus, the licensed rules don't make sense in the first place. 24.6.52.220 (talk) 08:48, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

Future

Pokémon Legends: Arceus,Shin Megami Tensei V, Super Robot Wars 30, etc all have not be released yet and should not count they could face delays, etrc games should only count when the are official release 92.236.253.249 (talk) 15:40, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

I agree with this, WHat if a game was slated to come out and then was cancelled? Would you just revert then? In my eyes it should be when the game has already released Gemini.skywalker (talk) 19:40, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

I don't see an issue with that. -Vipz (talk) 22:42, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

The issue as said above if a game is delayed or cancel then it would have to be reverted back if not release 92.236.253.249 (talk) 11:36, 16 September 2021 (UTC)

"with no more than 10 year-long gaps in-between"

How do we handle series that do have ten-year gaps, but whose "pre-hiatus" run makes them qualify for the list? Because we do have a few entries on the list including Goemon and Gradius, whose most recent games were in 2011, where I would not be surprised if they get a new game after a ten-year-hiatus.

Do we just keep counting years as usual (ie if a new Gradius game came out this year, its length would jump from 26 years to 36) assuming there has been a 25-year period for that series within which there are no breaks of more than ten years?--Alexandra^IDV 00:13, 3 October 2021 (UTC)

I would personally apply this rule for the franchise's latest two games. This rule is in place because way too many "franchises" decide to reboot after a long period of time and then go dormant again. There are even more pre-2011 franchises with no reboots in plans at all. This is simply a list of stable running franchises with regular releases. It doesn't imply a currently regular franchise is more important than one that was regular before a hiatus. -Vipz (talk) 17:00, 3 October 2021 (UTC)

Hoary for Hollywood

I got inspired by this page to create a film page containing the 100 longest running film series & franchises and nearly done but wondering if anyone wants to help Finnish off I have be using Lists of feature film series

92.236.253.249 (talk) 16:45, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

list is currently unreadable on mobile

. 73.154.216.76 (talk) 01:24, 28 April 2022 (UTC)

Try viewing it through your browser's desktop mode and/or rotate your screen horizontally. -Vipz (talk) 03:14, 28 April 2022 (UTC)

Removals

I've removed the following series from the list:

• Frogger: had a >10 year gap between 1984 and 1997
• Shanghai: the game "Shanghai Refresh" is not mentioned at all on the series article, and even if it is a valid game and not just a re-release/port, there's still a >10 year gap between 1998 and 2018
• Hammerin Harry: the game "P Daiku no Gen-san: Chō-idaten LIGHT" is not mentioned on the series article and I could not find any information about it online aside from this Wikipedia page; even if it is a real game, there is still a >10 year gap between 2008 and 2021
• Gridrunner: had a >10 year gap between 1991 and 2002
• Pitfall: had a >10 year gap between February 1984 and summer 1994
• Choplifter: had a >10 year gap between January 1994 and February 2004
• Microsoft Solitaire: the latest entry Microsoft Solitaire Collection was released in 2012 not 2016, meaning the total length was only 22 years
• Micro Machines: had a >10 year gap between 2006 and 2017
• XCOM: had a >10 year gap between 2001 and 2012
• Samurai Shodown: had a >10 year gap between 2008 and 2019
• Assault Suit: had a >10 year gap between 2004 and 2015
• Ninja Gaiden: had a >10 year gap between 1991 and 2004
• Umihara Kawase: had a >10 year gap between 1997 and 2013
• Duke Nukem: as the game listed as the most recent is actually a re-release, as stated on the series article; the actual span of this franchise is only 20 years (1991-2011)

Kidburla (talk) 00:03, 22 May 2022 (UTC)

I noticed you added 1942 (video game) which has seen its last game in 2010. The fact it has not seen 10-year gaps during its lifetime is irrelevant if it has reached dormancy after its last game (if it relaunched, that would mean its removal, which makes no sense). I've argued before about franchises that had 10 year gaps somewhere in their history, but later continued with regular releases should not be removed, e.g. Frogger. It makes no sense to give a pass to something that stopped in 2010, but not give a pass to something that still continues today. -Vipz (talk) 12:17, 23 May 2022 (UTC)

I'm just going by the policy as stated on the actual article "no more than 10 year-long gaps in-between, for at least 25 years, from a franchise's first release to its most recent". In other words, (a) the only period to be considered is from the first release to the most recent (i.e. gaps after the most recent release are not to be considered), (b) regular releases before or after such a ten-year gap don't make a game eligible for inclusion. If you feel the current policy is incorrect then feel free to open a talk page section with your proposal so we can reach a consensus. Personally, I feel it's correct to exclude Frogger as there was no continuous 25-year period where it had regular releases. But that is just my opinion, as I said my changes were based on the existing policy and not on my opinion. Kidburla (talk) 22:47, 23 May 2022 (UTC)

Just for the record, I recall you suggesting the "no more than 10 years" rule, but that I added it in to the description. I didn't think of it as any fast hard rule, as I figured it would be changed at some point, but thinking it again, the 10 year limit still seems appropriate. Electricmastro (talk) 00:43, 9 July 2022 (UTC)

I didn't suggest any rule, you must be confusing me with someone else. That rule was already in place before I started editing the article. Kidburla (talk) 14:22, 9 July 2022 (UTC)

Samurai Shodown had iOS games Slash and Oborozuki Densetsu release in 2013 and 2018, so I understand there's no 10 year gap because of this: https://www.grouvee.com/games/39590-samurai-shodown-slash/, https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/iphone/237713-samurai-spirits-oborozuki-densetsu/data

--Electricmastro (talk) 18:41, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

Taking the average

I think the 'no gap larger than 10 years' rule should apply to the average over its history, rather than a game-by-game comparison. I also think this average metric should be added as a new column. If it turns out all the averages fall way below '1 game per 10 years', we can reduce the parameter accordingly. The current system excludes semi-regular series like Monkey Island which has had three intensive periods: 1990-2000 (4 games), 2009-2010 (1 game and 2 re-releases), 2022 (1 game). They could release a new Monkey Island game every year until 2050 but they would still not qualify for our list. My suggested system would counteract this. Thoughts?--Coin945 (talk) 16:23, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

Personally, I think the rule should be no longer than 10 year gaps over any period of at least 25 years, rather than being prescriptive about which 25 year period is being referred to. Either way, I don't think Monkey Island is eligible right now. But if they started releasing a new game every year, then I think after 2047 we should consider them eligible, which would not be the case under current rules. Kidburla (talk) 17:12, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

As said above, I disagree with this "policy" (it's arbitrary and can be changed on I presume agreement from active talkpage editors) that allows presently dormant franchises be on the list, while presently active franchises can't because they had a hole somewhere in their history. That's just silly. Can we change that? -Vipz (talk) 20:20, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

Yes.--Coin945 (talk) 00:22, 16 August 2022 (UTC)

I think lots of people want to change it but the question is what to change it to. What's your proposal @Vipz? Kidburla (talk) 14:16, 16 August 2022 (UTC)

Forgot to reply to this. I was opposed to the current inclusion policy and did not read carefully enough to notice you were in fact proposing a great improvement that I agree with. Nonetheless, this will take some effort to enforce. -Vipz (talk) 01:57, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

For what it's worth, the page says that re-releases don't count as new entries in the series, so that means that there was only one new entry in the period from 2009-2010. 24.15.214.201 (talk) 19:07, 27 August 2022 (UTC)

Tekken franchise

Tekken has existed for 28 years now, and should be number 64 on this list at the time of writing... 196.250.157.82 (talk) 01:41, 25 October 2022 (UTC)

@196.250.157.82: We only track based on released games. The last release for Tekken was in 2015, so it's only 21 years at the moment. Kidburla (talk) 20:59, 25 October 2022 (UTC)

digimon

is starting as a vpet enough to count? theyre basically video games. digimon is now 25, starting in june 1997 with digimon survive in july 2022. but then i guess we dont list vpets on the digimon video game page. could stil count tho.Muur (talk) 21:00, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Xanadu series

I'm making a case for putting Xanadu, a subseries of the Dragon Slayer franchise, on the board, much as Legend of Heroes, another Dragon Slayer subseries, already is.

Not including expansion packs, remakes, or ports, the distinct entries in the series are:

• Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II - in October of 1985
• Faxanadu - in November of 1987
• The Legend of Xanadu - in February of 1994. (I know it's somewhat contentous to include this as part of the larger Xanadu subseries instead of its own thing, but it and its sequel were included in the collector's edition of Xanadu Next as well as other Xanadu collections, so Falcom at least seems to consider them to be part of the subseries.)
• The Legend of Xanadu II - in June of 1995.
• Xanadu Next - in August of 2005.
• Tokyo Xanadu - in June of 2015.

As you can see, it's close, but there's less than 10 years between series entries, if only by a couple months in a few cases.

Cousin zagreus (talk) 17:06, 13 January 2023 (UTC)

Someone should include postal

Been running for 25 years with regular releases, although it depends on whether a remake counts as a full fledged entry 95.82.64.170 (talk) 12:11, 9 February 2023 (UTC)

10+ years with no new games

Removed for having no new games in over 10 years:

194X

Babylonian Castle Saga

Gradius

Goemon

The Black Bass

Test Drive

Spy Hunter

--Electricmastro (talk) 01:14, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

@Electricmastro: As discussed in the above section, the article criteria only requires no >10y gaps between the first release and the most recent release, it doesn't make any difference whether it has been over 10 years after the most recent release. Therefore these games should not have been removed. Kidburla (talk) 02:14, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

DonPachi

DonPachi started in 1995 and released Dodonpachi True Death: exA Label in 2020, though I'm uncertain if it counts as just an update to an old game or a remake: https://www.mobygames.com/game/155919/dodonpachi-true-death-exa-label/

20:58, 12 March 2023 (UTC) Electricmastro (talk) 20:58, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

@Electricmastro: It looks like just an update to me. The site you linked to says it's using the graphics from the Xbox 360 version. Kidburla (talk) 21:08, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

Give Donkey Kong his full series

The Original Donkey Kong game is as DK game and not a Mario game (his name isn't even Mario in it, it was just "Jump Man") Even then, the most recent DK game is Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Cider621 (talk) 06:40, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

@Cider621: Not sure what you are trying to say here. The original listed Donkey Kong game is already a Donkey Kong game. And the latest release is Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars which was released after Tropical Freeze. Also, here we are tracking franchises, not series, so while Tipping Stars may not be considered part of the Donkey Kong series of platform games, it's definitely part of the Donkey Kong franchise. Kidburla (talk) 11:28, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

I think there is consensus among reliable sources that the original Donkey Kong arcade game is a Mario franchise video game as much as Donkey Kong. MvsDK spin-off series of games is likewise not standalone and is considered a part of both Mario and Donkey Kong franchises, hence its inclusion here counting towards DK. Cross-over video games are not excluded (and IMO rightfully shouldn't, because in Mario, Wario, Yoshi and Donkey Kong franchises' case it can be a bit arbitrary and blurry because they are extensively interconnected, and are varyingly sometimes considered 'sub-franchises' of the largest of them, Mario, and sometimes their own franchises, or even both). –Vipz (talk) 11:47, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

AFL

Was considering adding AFL, but I'm not sure how reliant it is on licensed teams.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFL_(video_game_series)

Electricmastro (talk) 06:54, 26 March 2023 (UTC)

Without being directly familiar with the series, I think from reading the Wikipedia article it sounds like a licensed game series. For example from the description of the second entry in the series:

You could play as one of the 16 clubs of the 1996 AFL season. It was also the last video game in the series to feature the Fitzroy Lions and the Brisbane Bears as playable teams before they were merged.

Kidburla (talk) 11:44, 26 March 2023 (UTC)

Garfield

Dunno how to edit without screwing up the page, but the first garfield game came out in 1985, and the most recent releasing in 2023 making it the 12th longest running franchise. Source https://garfield.fandom.com/wiki/Garfield_Video_Games 153.90.20.86 (talk) 04:02, 15 March 2024 (UTC)

Garfield is not on this list because it did not start out as a video game franchise. Many other such media franchises were brought up in earlier sections on this talk page (e.g. #"Only franchises that started out a video game"). –Vipz (talk) 20:07, 15 March 2024 (UTC)